About me

Privet! My name is Anna and I’m happy to welcome you here at the table under an apple tree. I want to introduce you to Russian Cuisine beyond caviar and vodka and may be through new tastes you will fall in love with my country. I have a lot of good stories and recipes for your inspiration. But firstly let me explain you why I am doing this blog… Why I do this blog

Why I do this blog…

Why I do this…

From my first trip to Italy I wanted to bring everything I felt in love with: prosecco, olive oil, honey with truffles, cappuccino from Cottini, sun and fields of Tuscany, all those fresh and beautiful vegetables and fruits from the market etc.etc.etc… It was not possible of course, so I brought just 7 kg of cookbooks. Yes, in Italian. And no, I didn’t speak Italian at that time. But I was ready to learn, because it was kind of a vital necessity – to stay in close touch with a land where I lost my heart. Oh, I know how poetic and pathetic it sounds…
From my second trip to Italy I brought seeds of white eggplants and sage, strong feeling that I have to open my own Italian restaurant and some more kg of cookbooks (of course).
From my seventh trip I brought the idea of a book “The table under an apple tree” and you see – now I even have a blog with the same name.
Why I started this blog about Russian cuisine from a story about Italy?
Because I learned how to love my country’s cuisine from Italians!
Poor empty sushi restaurants in Rome… Italians go by, hurrying to their favorite local place with “tavola calda”. They also still choose pasta 99 times from 100. And all other world follows the same passion. In my home city Saint-Petersburg it is much easier to find Italian restaurant than the place with a good Russian traditional food. If my friends do not have time to cook, they order pizza “to go”. Even at my own kitchen I usually cook fettuccine al ragu because it’s easier than most of all Russian recipes I know.
I’ve never heard a story about someone who bought 7 kg of Russian cuisine books and learned Russian because of passion to “pelmeni so smetanoi” (dumplings with sour cream).
People day by day are inspired by Italian cuisine and Italian lifestyle. And during my seventh trip while I was passing Coliseum I thought it would be fair to share all what I know and love about the Russian cuisine with Italians. And with all other world. I sat right there on a street and started to make notes…
After 5 month I wrote my first book with my favorite family recipes and started to discover more and more about Russian cuisine.
All my news and finds are here in this blog.
So welcome and thank you for staying with me!